Little Falls transcript., 1887-02-25
one OF rare excitement and confusion.

| one or rare excitement and confusion
Joey was perfectly at home, and
while his father was busy, stole up in
to the wheelhouse, which had incau.
tiously beenleft unlocked. The wheel
man, coming along soon after, met
Joey stealing down the steps, looking
scared and guilty.
Now thegun is fired. The bell ri ngs
The hurry and confusion are reincreased
tenfold. Hasty farewells are said;
hasty kisses exchanged, hand
kerchiefs are brought into Wig
orous use. The throng OF friends who
have come Onlv to say good bye
begin to pour over the plank to thu
wharf. The captain stands on tht
paddle box. He stoops and pull:
a handle; down in the depths of the
m""ster tinkles a bell; in q second
more the paddles dash the water in
to foam. The captain stoops and
pulls the handle again; the paddles
stop, but the ship has started enough
to allow the cables to cast off. They
are all cast off but the stern cable
! that still holds, and the head of the
great black monster swings slowly
out into the current. Another pull a,
the handle, another splash of the
paddles, and the stern cable is cast
oil. The gun sounds; she is loose!
! cheer from the crowd on the wharf, g
| cheer from the crowd on deck, and the
ship has fairly turned down the
stream and begun her voyage.
In an hour she was at the mouth o
the Willamette, and struck the strong
full current OF the Columbia Having
more sea-room now, she begins to use
her strength. The flames roar through
the t1ues; the engineer turns on g. full
head OF steam; the clear, sweet water
OF the river, cut clean and neat by the
prov, is dashed into snowy foam by
the paddles, and sinks and rises in q
swelling wake for half mile to the
stern. Fishing boats and Indian ca.
noes glide past her like shuttles, and
before you can fairly turn to look,
are tossing and rocking on the swell
many rods behind.
A black hull, supporting a cloud OF
dlngy-White canvas, is seen ahead. It
IS the Hudson Bay Company store
ship, bound for Vancouver. A flash,
O. cloud of white smoke, q thud, and
she has saluted the Orc Elmo. A lar and
a thunder-clap that startles the old
ones, and sets the ladies to screaming
and the Orc Fino has saluted her.
Three cheers from the stranger as the
British flag runs up to the masthead, |,
and three cheers as the stars and
stripes curl and snap in the tiff breeze
from our gatf. Now that she has
passed, and the sun falls full ON her
canvas, she seems like great bank Of
snow floating up the river.
Nearly everybody is tired OF watch
ing her, and many have gone into the
cabins to avoid the wind which is
growing chilly. and others are compos-
inc themselves in twos, and threes
about the deck, when new and more
thrilling episode calls them ali to their
feet again. Dunham and two men
came tearing up the staircase to the
quarterback. The bell tinkles, and
the paddles stop.
"Man ovcrboard!" is the cry.
Every one rnshes to the stern; every
one scans the boiling current. "There,
[ see him!'' cries one. "He's treading
water!" cries another. Everybody
can see HIM now; but by this time the
tremendous momentum Of the ves-
sci has left him a little speck q quar-
ter OF q mile behind, It takes an age
to lower the boat. Finally It is off,
Dunham in the stern, and the sturdy
sailors bending the ash dangerously
"Can he hold out?" "Oh,y yes; can't
you see him? He's trendiny water"
mo, he's floating" "Anyhow, he
keeps up brave]y." GLOW slow the
boat goes" "Why don't they pull?''
In fact, the boat was cutting the wa
ter like a frightened fish. Men on the
ship inyoluntariIy bent and strained,
as though they could help in that way.
The boat nears the floating object,
now only a speck in the distance A
joyful murmur goes up from the ship.
He's saved!' ''Oh, those strong
men!" But Dunham sheers the boat
around, and picks up only hat and
holds it high in the air. The owner
had long since sunk. By the time the
tired crew were taken on board and
the vessel under headway, it was
dark. They made Astoria by mid
night, and lay to alongside the wharf.
The wind freshened during the night,
and by morning a heavy gale, filled
with salt spray, was driving in direct
ly from the sea. The pilot reported
that it would be impossible to cross
bar in such q blow. So they waited.
Dunham's presentment of bad luck
had been strengthened by the loss
of the man from the ship, aud he was
more nervous and gloomy than when
he let home. So he took his boy and
went ashore. He went to the house
OF a friend and left Joey there, with
orders to return to Portland by the
first steamer that should go up. He
also wrote letter to his w1fe-a little
longer than usual, almost two pages,
and little more affectionate than
usual. He excused himself for writ
ing by telling her that the bar was so
bad they couldn't cross. and it was q
little too dull to stay there doing
nothing.
BY ten O'Clock the sqall had abated,
and by noon the pilot said he thought
he could get over the bar by taking
the north channel. While the firemen
were getting up steam, Dunham ran
over to his friends house--it was
only a few steps-and bade Joey
good-by, and told him to be q good
boy and mind his mother, and gave
him sundry other items of good ad-
vice which l fear the young scape-
grace did not attend to closely, being
engaged in the very amusing game OF
see-saw with the little girl Of the
house.
By three o'clock the ship was fairly
under way again. BY FIVE, she was
safely over the bar, and had put her
pilot aboard g. steamer which was
waiting on the the outside to enter.